Minus the fire scene, the Oconee County Fire Department is trying to make that dream come true for someone: The department is raffling off a fire truck to raise money for the Georgia Firefighters Burn Foundation, whose mission is to educate the public in burn awareness and prevention, support medical facilities and to assist burn survivors in their recovery.

Assistant Chief Eddie Thaxton of Fire Station 1 said all the money raised will go to the foundation and one lucky person will drive away with a fully working fire truck once used by the department.

"It works - everything works. ... The lights work, the sirens work, the brakes are fine," Thaxton said. "I wouldn't be scared to take off and drive to Atlanta in it right now."

The truck is a 1971 Dodge 700 Series with 25,500 miles on it. Thaxton said the truck is not worn out, it's just outdated and no longer used to fight fires.

Thaxton said the fire engine was not purchased with tax money because the county did not operate the fire department when the truck was bought. Instead, it belonged to the private corporation that ran the department, he said.

Before 1977, Oconee County residents paid membership dues to get fire protection from the private fire department, according to Thaxton.

He said if you were not a member and your house caught fire, a truck was not coming to snuff it out.

When the county started running the department, it used the truck until it became outdated. Thaxton said the county has tried to sell the truck in the past without any bidders coming forward.

The fire department will pick the winner of the truck raffle at its Halloween party, set for 8 p.m. Oct. 30 at Fire Station 1, 7580 Macon Highway, Watkinsville. Tickets are $5, and most firefighters carry a stack of tickets with them wherever they go.

Thaxton said the winner receives the truck and can do whatever he or she wants to do with it. He said some people he has sold tickets to said they would use it as their own personal vehicle, while others said they would keep it for a year and return it to the fire department so they can repeat the fund-raiser in the future.